


An unexpected lunch date

by digthewriter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bisexual Character, Cute, Fluff, HP: EWE, Lunch date, M/M, Older man, Pining, Unexpected Date, ministry employees
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 13:26:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11464527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/digthewriter/pseuds/digthewriter





	An unexpected lunch date

Harry had always had a bit of a crush on Bill. Of course, he’d kept it to himself because, even though he wasn’t very good at keeping secrets, Harry was very good at gauging Ron’s reactions. If he’d told his best friends he liked Bill, Ron would probably freak out.

It was bad enough Hermione and Viktor had got together after the war, and Ron was having a tough time with that, if Harry had told Ron he didn’t want to get back together with Ginny because he fancied Bill—Ron might have killed him.

*

Still, Ron had started to notice something was off.

“Why do you always leave the room when Bill and Charlie are here?”

“I don’t leave the room…”

“Yeah, you do. Even Charlie mentioned it. He thinks you’re avoiding him.”

“I’m not avoiding Charlie.”

“Are you avoiding Bill?”

“I…” Harry hesitated, not knowing what he could have said.

“What did Bill ever do to you?” Ron asked, sounding enraged.

“Nothing. Merlin, will you drop it?”

“You know, he’s really sad since Fleur and he separated. I thought you could hang out with him and keep him company. Since you both work for the Ministry now.”

“Uh…we’re not friends, Ron,” Harry said, confused.

“You could be…”

*

Harry had no idea why Ron was pushing on the idea of him and Bill “becoming friends.” It was the most bizarre idea, as far as bizarre ideas went—when it came to Ron. Even if he and Bill worked at the Ministry, Bill had plenty of friends, and he didn’t need another one.

Definitely not one that would only fumble and embarrass himself all over Bill.

“Hey, Harry…”

Harry looked up from his desk and almost froze. His quill fumbled out of his hand as his arm hung mid-way in air. “Hi,” he said. Bill had just walked up to his desk and was smiling at him. “Can I help you with something?”

“I…I don’t know,” Bill said with slight confusion on his face. “I was talking to Ron yesterday and he mentioned you wanted to talk to me. So, here I am. I have a meeting on this floor with the Head Auror, he said he wanted me to help with the next case to look for rogue werewolves that’ve gone in hiding. He thinks I might be able to sense them—”

“Oh yeah, I’m in that meeting. I will be on the team with you. I didn’t realise it was going to be _you_. Blakely had said he was bringing in an expert.”

Bill laughed then. “I’m not sure I’m an expert by any means… Great, so was this about the case then? I mean, why did you tell Ron you wanted to see me.”

“I didn’t. I don’t know what Ron is on about half the time…”

“Oh, if _you_ don’t know what Ron is on about half the time then I’m afraid _no one_ does.”

They laughed again, and suddenly, Harry was starting to feel less nervous. However, he wasn’t sure still why Ron was trying to get Bill and Harry to talk or be friends or whatever—He was going to have to round up on his friend and tell him to stay out of his professional life.

“So do you want to grab lunch after the meeting?” Bill asked, as Harry picked up his quill and parchment and they made their way to the meeting room together.

“Oh. Sure.” Harry tried to keep his expression nonchalant, but he was totally freaking out. It was hard enough for him to act so cool around Bill at work, what was he going to do alone with him at lunch?

*

They went to the café around the corner to grab a sandwich. The meeting had run longer than Harry had anticipated and though the lunch crowd and thinned out from the café, he was starving. They waited in the queue, ready to order.

“Merlin, I feel like I can eat for four people after that meeting. It would just not end.”

Harry laughed. “I know. Blakely likes the sound of his voice a little too much.”

“It’ll be great when you’ll be Head Auror. You’re not much of a talker. More of an action...bloke. Am I right?”

Harry shrugged. “I don’t really like attention on me. I’m not sure if that’s what I’ll be pursuing—”

“You’ll be great at it!” Bill said.

“You think so?”

“Of course. I like that you’re to the point. You don’t want any unwanted attention. You get the job done, and then move one. It’s what I like about you.”

Their turn came up and Harry ordered a bean falafel sandwich with tahini sauce, and Bill opted for the roast beef sandwich with _extra roast beef, hold the lettuce, and add bacon_. Harry couldn’t help but smile when Bill went on and on with the till girl about how much meat he wanted on his sandwich. He felt maybe he should’ve ordered a side of ham and then offered it to Bill when the time came.

Bill also insisted on paying and as Harry took a seat at the corner table, Bill approached him with two lagers in hand.

“Come on, now you’re just spoiling me.”

Bill smirked at him. “After that meeting, I could use a drink. Couldn’t you?”

“Yeah, but if it was a pint after work. Not during the day. If Blakely saw us—”

“ _Please_ ,” Bill said, waving his hand as if dismissing the topic. “You and I both know every time we go into Blakely’s office, there’s a new bottle of Firewhisky there because he most likely drinks the thing in two days and has to constantly order a new one. He’s not going to give you a hard time for drinking one pint during lunch. He wouldn’t dare.”

“Because he’s an alcoholic? Or because I’m Harry Potter?” Harry asked.

Bill shrugged. “Maybe both.”

*

They walked back to the office and got in the lifts which were empty. Bill pressed the button for his floor, and Harry did the same.

“So that was fun,” Bill said in a quiet tone.

“Yeah, it was great,” replied Harry.

“So, do you wanna, maybe go and get a pint after work sometime then?”

“Oh. Yeah,” Harry said, taken by surprise, again. “...sounds like a good idea”

“Great, so…” Bill glanced over towards the doors as if he knew they were going to open soon, and took a step towards Harry. He raked his fingers through Harry’s hair on the back of his neck and pulled him close. Before Harry could register what was happening, Bill kissed him.

It was a quick kiss and over before Harry could kiss Bill back. The doors opened and Bill left. “See you later, then.”

“Later,” said Harry and the doors closed.

He walked back to his desk in a daze, unsure if the kiss had been real. He sat behind his desk and opened up the file that’d been waiting for him. It was a briefing for his new case, and Harry started to read over the notes.

“So…yeah…Sorry…” The voice came out of nowhere and Harry looked up to find Bill standing there.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hi,” replied Bill.

“Did you…did you forget something?” _Like waiting for me to kiss you back_?

“Um…” Bill looked around before he looked at Harry and gave a shy smile. He bit his lower lip and ran a hand through his hair. “I think I know why Ron wanted me to come and talk to you.”

“Oh, you do?” Harry asked, standing up. He wanted to be face-to-face with Bill, and didn’t like the way he was looking up at him from his chair. He felt like a kid. If he were stood up and facing the man, he’d feel more his equal.

“Yeah. And sorry I kissed you like that. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m sort of…well definitely… mad over you. And …”

“I’m sorry, what?” Harry asked, hating he'd interrupted Bill, but still, he wanted to be sure he was hearing him right. “Did you say you’re mad over _me_?”

“Yeah. I did kiss you.”

“Yeah, and then you ran out of the lifts as if you’d changed your mind. I mean, I didn’t even know you were into blokes. You were married to Fleur.”

“I’m bisexual. Always have been. Maybe I like men more than I like women, and that’s why it didn’t work out with me and Fleur. We liked each other, just not enough to make it work. But, it’s not why I’m here. This is second or third date sort of stuff, not _I just had lunch with you but want to take you out on a real date_ material.”

“Is this why you think Ron’s been trying to get us together? Because he knows how we feel about each other?” And the words were out of Harry’s mouth before he could even try to stop himself.

“ _We_ feel about each other?”

“I…” Now, Harry hesitated and rubbed the back of his neck feeling self-conscious. “I fancy you too. I have for ages. And I guess…Ron’s not as oblivious as I originally thought.”

Bill looked around again and then came around Harry’s desk. It was nearing the end of the day for them and it _was_ Friday so there were even less people in the office than usual. Bill grabbed Harry by the elbow and pulled him around a small cubicle wall where no one could see them. His mouth hovered over Harry’s lips and Harry licked his lips as he started into Bill’s eyes.

“Can I kiss you again, Harry?”

Harry nodded, unable to trust his voice. Bill pressed his lips against Harry’s and Harry arched up, deepening the kiss. It was soft and tentative at first, and so much better than that quick peck he’d received in the lifts. As Harry parted his lips, Bill slid his tongue in and out, teasing him.

He tried not to groan so Harry slightly pushed Bill away before pulling him back into a kiss and biting Bill’s lower lip.

“Merlin, I could do this all day,” Bill said.

“Me too,” replied Harry.

“So I’ll see you later then, for drinks?” Bill asked, and Harry nodded, “and then, can we go back to your place for some more kissing?”

“Definitely,” Harry answered, _and for maybe more than just kissing_.


End file.
